Our Favorites To Qualify For the T20 World Cup 2021 Semifinals

After the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 was postponed and moved to a whole different country after the effects that the Covid-19 world pandemic has had on the world, the time has come for cricket fans from all over the world to finally get their beloved T20 World Cup action back. With the competition set to start a few days from now in UAE and Oman, and with cricket pundits all over ready to bet online for their favorite squads, there’s no better time than right now to talk about who the best teams in the competition are. 

So let’s dive right into which squads look like the best fits to move on to the tournament Semifinals in the hopes of reaching the finals and leaving with the coveted ICC T20 World Cup 2021 title.

Group A: West Indies

You can call it champions prerogative, but there’s no denying that the West Indies will come into the T20 World Cup 2021 Tournament as one of the heavily favored teams to walk away with the championship title, something they pulled off in 2016. Now, with favoritism comes big responsibilities to carry as well, which is why West Indies will be surely looking for the edge that players like Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Chris Gayle will surely bring to the fields. As a secret weapon for West Indies, veteran, and former T20 World Champion from their 2012 championship run, Ravi Rampaul will be joining the squad in substitution of Jason Holder, whose last performances gave way to his outing in favor of the veteran Rampaul.

Group B: India

Has there ever been an international cricket tournament where India didn’t go into as one of the heavy favorites to take home the gold? Well, if there was ever one, this one isn’t it. After receiving the ever so unexpected and shocking news that their star captain Virat Kohli was planning on stepping down from his role in the team after the 2021 World Cup, India is looking to give their beloved captain, who is a favorite amongst cricket fans a proper send-off by taking the gold in the upcoming tournament. With the experience and leadership that a player like Kohli adds to the team, alongside another seasoned veteran like Ravi Ashwin and with players of the caliber of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya amongst others, this India team will come out looking for the gold from the get-go. 

Group A: England

While the West Indies are looking to revalidate their championship win from 2016, if there’s one team who will be looking to get revenge on them and who casually shares the group with the West Indies, it’s England. Even while missing their captain Ben Stokes who decided to step down from his post as England’s captain a few months back, England has plenty of players that can step up and put the whole tournament on notice. The key to England’s success here will be for their run production numbers to go up. All and all, the English squad is one of the most solid in the tournament, with a batting lineup that could put any team against the ropes and if players Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, and Jos Buttler play their best cricket, England will surely be a team to watch out for.

Group B: New Zealand

Last but not least, picking another favorite out of group B was very difficult. Given that Pakistan is always known to be a team that can put up very valiant and respectable fights and both Bangladesh and Afghanistan will surely fare very well in the tournament if there is one team in this group that can give India a scare and make a strong bid for a championship run its New Zealand. New Zealand will be coming into the tournament with one of the best rosters around, with players like captain Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Lockie Ferguson, and Tim Southee all looking as prepared as ever to put New Zealand in the highest spots of the tournament.

While New Zealand will have to deal with some very tough competition, the general feeling and consensus are that apart from India, stopping the Blackcaps will not be an easy feat whatsoever, which automatically makes them the other favorited team to go through to the semifinals.